Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-02-07

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Stories of Their wIckedne.s i'm Cap
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From the Philadelphia Record.1
The worst elephant that ever walked in
circus parade in the United States was Fores
paugh's well known big elephant Romeo. He
was as full of mischief as monkey and as
dangerous as dynamite mine. He. was not
bad in spells, but always bad, and his at
tendants never knew when his big trunk was
going to swing at them with the force of
battering ram. He considered every man
who Travelled with the Forepaugh show his
born enemy. He had a special dislike to
Adam Forepaugh, ST., and never lost an op-
portunity to attempt the veteran showman's
life. Whenever Mr.. Fsrepaugh went near
him he would make a swipe at him with his
trunk or throw at him the first missile he
could find. When the show came to Phila-
delphia to winter Romeo had to be chained
in the middle of big room alone, ont of
reach of the sides and top. His chains had
to be fastened to post anchored about ten
feet in the ground. His hind legs had to be
fastened with chains stretched obliquely out
and back from him.
Whenever an especially violent fit Of tenn
per seized Romeo it was necessary to throw
him and beat him into submission. The
throwing accomplished by fastening
block and tackle to the chains on the hind
legs and drawing those members up under
his big body until he was compelled to let
himself down. Once down he was chained
tight and held, while dozen men would
surround him and thrash him with poles un-
til he trumpeted ''enough." It frequently
took ten hours to beat him into submission,
and he was often kept lying on the floor for
three OF four days before he would give in.
The last seven years of his life Romeo de-
pended on one eye to guide his elephantine
way through life. The other was shot out
by his keeper, Stuart Craven, one day in the
fall of 1865. on Ridge avenue, Philadelphia,
after Romeo had broken down the brick wall
of the animal house where Forepaugh was
wintering. Romeo took notion to wander,
and after raising merry war among the other
animals he butted down the brick wall of the
house and started down the Ridge. Stuart
Craven followed him with a shotgun and
emptied about pound of shot into Romeo's
leather hide. One load took effect in one of
his eyes and blinded him, and at the same
tins conquered the big brute so that he al
lowed himself to be driven back to his quar-
ters.
A couple of years later Romeo killed an
attendant named Canada Bill' at HARTFORD,
Pa, by throwing him against wall and
then getting in front of him and kneeling
upon him. elephant George" an attend
ant, was nearly drowned by him while riding
across a river on the elephants neck. Ro-
meo dived three times IN the attempt to
drown George, who was rescued just in time
by the other people of the show, who went
af er him in boats.
Romeo died in Chicago in 1872 from lock-
jaw, caused by the sores made on his ankles
by thu shackles. His skeleton is now mount
ed in the College of Surgeons and Physicians
in Chicago. In his time he killed three men
and destroyed fifty thousand dollars worth
of property.
Mogul, an elephant that was owned by
John OBrien, had a propensity to knock
down and knee1 upon any body who was near
him when he took one of his fits of bad tenn
per. He was hard animal to conquer, and
it frequently took several days thashing. He
was killed in 1871 in an attempt to subdue
him. He was kept lying down for four days
on damp ground after a thrashing, and he
caught cold and died of pneumonia.
Chief and Queen, two elephants of the
Barnum herd, were sold to Mr.. Forepaugh
last spring for two thousand dollars. This
low price was accepted for them on account
of their dangerous temper. Queen had an
unexplainable hatred for James A. Bailey, of
Barnum, Bailey & Hutchinson, from the
first time she saw him, and the big brute
never lost opportunity to make an at
tempt upon his life At the opening of
the season two years ago in Madison Square
Garden she nearly succeeded in accom-
was in the procession coming down the
track and Mr. Bailey was walking in the
opposite direction. When Queen him
coming she edged out toward him, and as
Mr.. Bailey got opposite her there was a
post behind him. Queen saw her opportu-
nifty and swerved suddenly toward him, at
tempting to catch him between her huge
body aud the post and squeeze him to
death, but Bailey saw her purpose just in
time and sprang aside. escaping by hairs
breadth.
Pickaninny, the little clown elephant,
known all over the country on account of
his funny performances with the clown
Charlie Mccarthy, was performing at Slo-
GUMS minstrels several weeks ago, and
kept his temper well enough until the last
night, when he took notion to play the
bad elephant. He started by knocking his
keeper down and then picked him up and
threw him against the wall. The man was
nearly dead when Mccarthy rescued him.
Emperor, who was Jumbo's side partner
with the Barnum show during the season
before last, took fit of stubbornness on
him in Troy, N. Y: while being driven
through the street, and he broke away and
went on rampage He got into an iron
into crowded street. Before he was caught
and chained he had injured four. men and
a woman and had done four thousand dol
lars worth of other damage.
When Adam Forepaugh started IN the.
menagerie business he had but two ele-
plants with him. They were Romeo, the
wickedess in the country, and Annie, a
black African elephant, the trickiest on the
road. 1t was Annie's delight to frighten
farmers teams into running away, and she
never happier than when she could
scare a COW out of seven years milk.
Whenever she saw cow on the road out
went the big ears like sails, trunk and tail
were elevated, and with a soul-harrowing
series os trumpetings Annie would make at
the COW, and in about five seconds that
COW, surrounded by cloud of dust, would
disappear over the horizon.
The biggest and wickedest elephant in
the country will back off from a rat or
mouse, and will tremble and trumpet if
advanced upon by the little animal.
Queen Victoria and Mrs. Langtry.
From the Boston Heraldl
Some one asked Mrs. Langtry recently IT
she did really put piece of ice down the
Prince of Wales back. That fair creature
adroitly slipped her cable and sailed into the
subject of the weather, leaving her interlocutor
as wise as before. have been told by very
reliable authority that Mrs. Langtry not only
put the ice down the princely back, but
said afterward when told by Mortified cour-